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Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth
| next = }} "Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth" is a hardcover graphic novel of the crime noir genre. It was published by DC Comics and relates to the Batman line of comic book titles. The story was written by Grant Morrison with painted artwork by Dave McKean, who also rendered the cover art illustration. It was edited by Karen Berger with Art Young as assistant editor. This volume was released in October, 1989 and carries a cover price of $24.95 per copy (US). Appearances * Batman, Bruce Wayne * Amadeus Arkham * James Gordon * Ruth Adams * Joker * Charles Cavendish * Martin "Mad Dog" Hawkins * Constance Arkham * Elizabeth Arkham * Harriet Arkham * Joe Chill * Martha Wayne * Pearl * Thomas Wayne * Unnamed security guard * Clayface, Preston Payne * Doctor Destiny, John Dee * Killer Croc, Waylon Jones * Mad Hatter, Jervis Tetch * Maxie Zeus * Professor Milo, Achilles Milo * Scarecrow, Jonathan Crane * Two-Face, Harvey Dent * Gotham City Police Department * Humans * Altered humans * Bats * Insects :* Beetles * Gotham County * Gotham City :* Gotham City Police Headquarters :* Park Row * Mercey Island :* Arkham Asylum * Bat-signal * Battle axe * Pitchfork * Tarot cards * Two Face's silver dollar * Wheelchair * None * 1900s * 1920s * Decapitation * Dismemberment * Doctor * Impalement * Inmate * Mental health facility * Mental patient * Prison * Psychiatrist * Slit throat Notes & Trivia * Batman was created by comic book writer Bill Finger and graphic artist Bob Kane. He first appeared in ''Detective Comics'' #27 in May, 1939. * This volume was reprinted in 2004 as a 15th anniversary edition, and again in 2014 as a 25th anniversary edition. The 15th anniversary edition, released in October, boasts a new original cover art graphic by Dave McKean. The 25th anniversary edition also has an original cover art piece. * The origin of Arkham Asylum is presented in this story. It is unclear which elements of the tale, if any, are maintained as part of canon continuity, though most sources accept the history of the asylum as canonical, even if some of the modern events seem incongruous with current historical and behavioral traits of other characters. * The main events of this story take place in the modern era on April 1st, also known as April Fool's Day. Flashback scenes involving Amadeus Arkham take place in 1901, 1920, 1921, and 1922, with a reference to the year 1929. * Reference is made to the 1960 thriller film Psycho, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Anthony Perkins. The line "A boy's best friend is his mother" is spoken in narrative in this story, and there is a panel showing a distorted image of Norman Bates from the end of the film, which is the scene wherein he is locked up inside of a mental hospital. * The origin of Bruce Wayne is briefly recapped in this story. This includes walking home from the movie theater with his parents, and the subsequent murder of Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne. The movie marquis shown in the background indicates the film as Zorro. Other have cited The Mark of Zorro as the movie the Waynes had just seen. In this version, Bruce Wayne is seen crying because the film scared him, and Thomas Wayne admonishes him for his behavior. This is a different take on the origin story from any that has come before. Recommended Reading See also External Links * * * Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth at the Joker Wiki * Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth at the Batman Wiki Category:Batman One-Shots Category:Graphic novels Category:1989/Comic issues Category:October, 1989/Comic issues Category:Jenette Kahn/Editor-in-Chief Category:Dick Giordano/Executive editor Category:Karen Berger/Editor Category:Art Young/Assistant editor Category:Dave McKean/Cover artist Category:Dave McKean/Cover inker Category:Dave McKean/Cover colorist Category:Dave McKean/Cover letterer Category:Grant Morrison/Writer Category:Dave McKean/Penciler Category:Dave McKean/Inker Category:Dave McKean/Colorist Category:Gaspar Saladino/Letterer Category:Comic issues with crew categories